New Names Revealed for Stellar 2026 MerleFest Lineup
Make sure to get MerleFest on your radar in 2026, set to happen April 23-26 in Wilkesboro, NC with a stellar lineup that was just announced in full this week. Alison Krauss and Union Station, Old Crow Medicine Show, Charles Wesley Godwin, and Blackberry Smoke are the top line names. But that’s just where this stacked lineup starts.
Molly Tuttle, Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, The Infamous Strringdusters, and so many more from the bluegrass realm are scheduled to appear. So are legendary names like Jerry Douglas, Jim Lauderdale, Dom Flemons, and Reverend Peyton.
Up-and-coming names to make sure you catch include The Castellows, The Creekers, AJ Lee and Blue Summit, Trey Hensley, The Wilder Blue, Melissa Carper, Buffalo Traffic Jam, and so on and so forth, along with scores of local and regional acts from North Carolina worth checking out on the 12 total stages throughout the festival grounds.
Though some mistakenly think MerleFest is named for Merle Haggard, it’s actually named in memory of guitarist Eddy Merle Watson, who was the son of Doc Watson. Founded in 1988, the fest continues to grow each year Though traditional country and bluegrass is what MerleFest was built on and still represents for the most part, it has expanded over the years to also incorporate Americana, blues, and roots rock.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Merlefest.org.
December 12, 2025 @ 10:37 pm
I will be attending for the first time this year. Very excited!
December 12, 2025 @ 11:32 pm
The festival poster is a veritable treasure trove of bands I didn’t know yet (aside from the “big” household names and the already well-known breakthrough artists).
December 13, 2025 @ 12:23 pm
Same! With the exception of the “unspoken king of Nashville’s Americana”, Jim Lauderdale… I don’t see any of the bluegrass or Americana acts I’m drawn to and familiar with… I bet it will be a good time.
December 13, 2025 @ 2:28 pm
Just Ketch by himself? Is OCMS disbanded?
December 13, 2025 @ 2:31 pm
Old Crow Medicine Show is one of the headliners. I think they’re playing multiple sets that will include performing complete albums. I think he’s playing solo as well. He released a solo record earlier this year.
December 13, 2025 @ 2:38 pm
Yes it’s a big lineup. Merlefest is a must do. Of course DelFest and Earl Scruggs Fest are just as good a lineup. MerleFest is bigger, stages spread apart more , so it’s impossible to see it all. You have to make careful choices with what you can realistically hope to see without wearing yourself out. In general, all these big ones are a mix of genres. The only ” pure bluegrass” fests anymore are the little mom and pop ones you find in Ky, Ohio, WV, Tenn, VA, etc. They aren’t as well advertised or promoted because they keep them to a manageable crowd size. I think the over the top genre blending we see now is symptomatic of short attention spans and the desperation to sell as many tickets as possible. Not saying it’s bad, this is just what the scene has become. That said, I’ll be attending at least one of the three.
December 15, 2025 @ 10:57 am
I hate these ever-growing giant multi-day festivals. Not only are the prices inflating even more rapidly, but the time commitment is too, plus lodging, etc. On top of that, you’re paying for acts you won’t even see because you can’t be at multiple places at once. I would much rather have many slimmed-down single-day fests spread throughout the year than have these giant ones scattered here and there. Like imagine if there was a venue outside of a medium-sized city and every Saturday, Spring-Fall, had a mini genre-themed “festival” with 4-5 artists. Monopoly and market issues aside, it seems like it would be a win-win for the business and the fans. But what do I know.
December 15, 2025 @ 11:08 am
Though I agree with you generally, when you have events like MerleFest that has multiple stages and performers play multiple times and sometimes in different configurations, this allows you to “choose your own adventure” so to speak, and even if you miss a performer one place, you can see them at another.
The worst of this is the C3 Presents fests like Two Step Inn, Railbird, and FairWell Fest where you have three stages, two days, and they pack it all in where you can only ever see 1/3rd of the lineup, and if two of your favorites are playing at the same time, tough luck.
December 13, 2025 @ 7:14 pm
That sounds like a great fest. Wish i could attend.
December 15, 2025 @ 8:38 am
AJ Lee and Blue Summit!!!! Shout out to home state heroes! Ma’am they are KILLER.
But that lineup is all killer no filler.